June 04, 2008

You asked: How do I get tested for chemicals?

Q: With all the fuss about (the chemical) bisphenol A these days, how can someone get tested for levels of accumulation? Do you just sit around and wait for a scientific study?----Dan McNaughton, 41, Chicago.

Here's a response from Max Muller who directed a biomonitoring project for Environment Illinois, an advocacy group that recently tested seven people in Illinois for BPA, flame retardants and phthalates:

A: "Unfortunately, testing an individual's body fluids for bisphenol A is a very specialized task--only a few labs have the capacity to detect the low concentrations found in people. It's quite expensive, insurance won't cover it, and most labs like this aren't interested in testing just one sample from an individual."

Another problem, said Muller, is that an individual's results don't provide any useful information because personal results aren't a predictor of health or of any illness. That means while most Americans have detectable amounts of BPA in their body in levels higher than what has cause harm in some animal studies, we don't know how this will impact our health.

For more information on biomonitoring, go to Commonweal.org to read more about the merits of individual testing.